


Contingent

by dendriax



Series: things are all fictional in this [1]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Hospitalization, Illnesses, M/M, Road Trips, Sharing Clothes, Swearing, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-20 21:36:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17630093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dendriax/pseuds/dendriax
Summary: The thing about being unconscious for a long time, at least according to Davo, is that it enables Marns to take in other people's unconsciousness.And Matts would be more skeptical but, apparently, Matts can commune with a ghost.





	Contingent

**Author's Note:**

> If you are or personally know the people mentioned in this, please click away. It can't be stressed enough how purely fictional this is. Nothing in this is real nor meant to cause anyone offense.
> 
> Warning for major character turning into a ghost, for obvious reasons. Part of this is a Hospital AU. The conditions pertaining why they needed to be in a hospital are kept vague and there's nothing graphic in this. Rated M for I'm paranoid.
> 
> ETA: The warning's changed. Hope it's more fitting.

The clothing-synchronization thing is weird but not inconvenient, for Matts at least. The main reason is because it seems to only work one-way, like, Matts can put on anything and Eichs will somehow be forced to wear the same thing. Sometimes Eichs goes on and on about Matts' inferior fashion sense but it isn't like anyone else could see Eichs anyway. Not that Matts is going to point that out because... well, because he isn't an insensitive jerk, for once.

Which leads to how Matts finds himself being dragged to a mall on a Saturday to try on clothes, with Eichs in the stall directing him. Eichs doesn't even bother to see how Matts looks, the vain fucker.

"Cool," Eichs villainously says later, and offers Matts half of his chocolate bar, the same brand and flavor Matts just bought on the way back. Matts just stares at it, unable to react because, like, where the hell does that come from? But then Eichs is pulling it back so Matts grabs his wrist and took a bite and-- It's like the real thing, same texture, same taste and everything. He wonders not for the first time if he can just live off of Eichs' ghost food and never go grocery shopping again.

As he's chewing, Matts stops and just... re-examines the life choices that have led him to this moment.

~

So like, Matts didn't think a stupid dare would land him right into a hospital, in fucking Canada. What's even more stupid is the people who thought it was a good idea to bring a bunch of dumb high schoolers on a trip to fucking Canada in the first place. But that's not important as much as Matts is now stuck here, in fucking Canada, until he's clear to board a plane back home.

At least his roommate leaves him alone for the most part after his first attempt at a conversation was met with a polite "Would you kindly fuck off?" from Matts. Matts isn't proud per se, but he was in a mood and figured he was justified even though he knows blowing up on the guy who hasn't done anything to deserve it wouldn't be conducive to anything. And Matts is bored now, is the thing. There's nothing good on TV and fucking around on his phone can only do so much.

"Where are you off to?" Matts asks on the third day Davo, as his roommate told Matts to call him, is about to fuck off to wherever he usually fucks off to.

"To see Marns," Davo supplies. And Matts doesn't have anything better to do so he takes that as an invite and follows him, which is a trek and a half seeing as Matts needs to use a fucking wheelchair but he figures anything's better than stewing in this room so onwards he goes.

Marns, when they finally get to his room, is sleeping and is, like, cute? Don't judge. Matts hasn't gotten off since the accident, which has been days. He's got casts, plural, and like hell he's gonna risk getting caught with jizz stains on them when the medical staff come to check on him. Davo almost looked sleep-rumpled cute this morning but Matts was able to squash his brain from going further because, like, good roommate etiquette and all.

"Hey, Marns," Davo greets. "This is Matts, my new roommate. He's kind of an asshole, too, so I think you'll get along great." And Matts would protest except Davo continues on as Marns keeps on sleeping and, like, what the ever-loving shit?

So Matts keeps staring, as you do, while the one-sided conversation goes on. And it's a conversation alright, because Davo pauses like he's listening to Marns before carrying on. This would be totally normal if Davo was talking to someone on the phone where Matts couldn't hear the other side but seeing as that is not the case, Matts is inclined to think Davo's reason for being in the hospital might have something to do with his head.

"Yo, fuckheads," someone says, and Matts turns to see another guy their age walks in and proceeds to sit on the other bed in the room. "And who's this poor fucker you dragged in?"

"Eichs, Matts. Matts, Eichs. Now, if you don't mind," Davo replies and then goes back to the freaky conversation, clambering in bed with Marns so they can cuddle.

"I do, but do go on anyway," Eichs leers and turns to Matts. "So, what kind of fucker did things so superhumanly dumb they end up plastered with this many casts?"

And that's how it starts.

-

Matts doesn't like to admit it -- even to himself because, like, fucking Marns and Davo -- but they're kinda friends, kinda.

They hang out in Marns and Eichs' room because, like, Marns sleeps there and can't, like, move. And Matts can say with absolute certainty at this point that they're all assholes so it's not really hard to get along.

The psychic shit kinda throws Matts off, though. And even though Eichs had seemed like a sane asshole, he vouched for the Marns and Davo's telepathy so the jury's still out on that one.

Eichs says that Marns is stuck in a shitty ice rink he got concussed in that they take turns telepathically visiting from time to time, a fact that Davo confirms solemnly. Matts is glad he's stuck with baseball.

So, the thing about being in a coma for a long time, at least from what Davo's told Matts, is that it enables you to take in other people's unconsciousness. And the thing about having someone housing your unconsciousness for sufficiently many times is that it enables you to communicate with said someone even when said someone is still unconscious and you're not anymore. What the fuck?

Anyway, Marns is hilarious, at least by the agency of saint Davo, and Matts and Eichs unite over their shared disdain for Canada like most normal non-Canadians do. So all in all, Matts' days aren't so bad.

-

And then Eichs fucking goes into surgery without telling them and they have to find out through Marns. Well, Matts finds out through Davo but fuck semantics, he already feels enough left out as it is.

So Eichs is in surgery, but is also with Marns, and Davo can commune with them both and all three of them can hear Matts but Matts can only hear Davo. Matts can't make this shit up, really.

It's very... Matts doesn't know. Depressing makes him sound like a heartless jerk. Sad just doesn't cut it. Eichs is taking the whole ordeal really well, though. At least this way they get to say goodbye, and Eichs would make a really decent motivational speaker because somehow he talks Marns into waking up.

-

Matts misses them a lot. But he couldn't just not come home. He spent the rest of his time at the hospital getting to know Marns in person and consorting with him and Davo. Marns in person is -- true to Davo's word -- very cuddly, so cuddly he found a way to comfily cuddle with Matts even with all the casts. Matts grudgingly allowed it, even though he suspects Marns insisted on cuddling Matts and Davo for Matts' sake as well no matter what they liked to pretend.

On one fateful day just as Matts is about done with high school, Eichs comes to him.

"What the fuck even is my fucking life?" Matts says by way of greeting.

"I come bearing gifts, you ungrateful fucker. Where are your fucking manners?" Eichs counters, and Matts is about to retort except then his phone rings.

-

So Matts finds himself on a road trip with Marns and Davo through fucking Canada for the summer, funded by none other than fucking Eichs who happened to be a loaded asshole.

Apparently, Eichs left a note and it took some time to verify its genuineness but the conclusion is that the fucker legit left the three of them a rather magnanimous sum of money and, again, what the fucking fuck?

Matts wouldn't have known what Eichs fucking wanted with him except Eichs was there when he got the phone call to tell him exactly what he wanted with Matts. So, in short, here Matts is, back in fucking Canada of all places.

And Matts would've found a way to come back anyway, if they fucking told him. But they didn't. Like, they'd been texting on a mostly daily basis ever since Matts had gotten back to America but not once did they mention that Davo was not doing so good and it took fucking Eichs to fucking come back from wherever he'd been to tell him.

[

"You got out," Davo explained. "I didn't want you to worry. Still don't."

"We are friends. It's what friends do, for fuck's sake." Matts had lost his chill and then turned to Marns. "And what's your excuse for not telling me? You--"

"It wasn't his to tell," Davo cut him off. "I'm glad you two are my friends but the last thing I want is to hold either of you back. I couldn't keep Marns away, but at least with you I--"

"And now you're leaving the hospital? You self-entitled--" And Matts was about to continue but then--

"Can you fucking blame him?" It was Eichs who cut him off this time. "The odds are fucking bullshit. Davo's fucked. I got you here because he and Marns need you and I knew you need to be with them, too. If he wants out then just go with him. Do you want him to fucking end up like me?"

"Matts..." Marns began after Matts went silent for a few minutes.

"I'm coming with," Matts announced firmly. "I know Eichs is, too."

]

The road trip's nice despite everything. They go places. And Matts would complain more about fucking Canada but at least here they can legally get profoundly drunk and spectacularly high.

Marns has no chill about narrating every fucking thing they pass and Eichs provides almost exclusively expletives, all the while Davo keeps on smiling contentedly and chirps in whenever he deems apropos.

Marns and Eichs also fight over the radio with their physical and metaphysical forces. No one thinks it's weird at all.

In an unrelated news, Matts isn't proud to say this but Davo being not so good means lots of favors have been thrown towards them. And, like, Matts could only endure so much pestering from Eichs before he goes home with one of the girls.

Dubious voyeurism be damned, Eichs doesn't count.

-

So the sex keeps on happening and somewhere along the way, Matts and Eichs just forgo the girls altogether and so, let operation ghost-fucking-buddy fucking commence.

To be totally fair, Matts still isn't sure if Eichs is just a figment of his imagination or not. But then again, Davo and Marns got each other so why can't Matts let himself have this with Eichs?

That is, until Matts goes on a walk to clear his head one day and then hears "Fucking come back here this instant, you fucker!" And so Matts runs like hell to get back to their motel room, all the while calling Marns who informs him Davo insisted he needed to have a very specific local-branded far-famed poutine/nachos/what-the-fuck-ever and, like, fuck Davo and his fucking devious Canadianism-induced scheme.

Matts finds Eichs hovering over Davo on one of the beds and shaking him by the shoulders. So Matts takes Eichs' place because he's not sure how Marns would react if he sees... exactly what, Matts has no idea. Then Marns is back and they're about to call 911 when Davo finally wakes up--

And stares unblinkingly over Matts' shoulder, looking like he just sees--

"Eichs?"

-

So yeah, shit remains cool. Matts feels very reassured with the state of his mental health now that Davo can commune with Eichs, too. A fact that Marns wouldn't stop whining about since Matts admitted that he'd been keeping Eichs to himself all along.

Another thing Matts has resigned himself to hearing Marns whining about is the absurdity that is how Marns is the only one that's been unjustly having threesomes when the rest of them've been incontrovertibly having foursomes, to which Eichs responds by offering to knock him unconscious again, which in turn earns a disapproving/ass-reaming glare from Davo.

-

"Davo was there for me when I knew for sure what was wrong. And Marns was there every time I went into surgery," Eichs says one night while all of them are piled in one giant bed.

Davo and Marns are asleep. Davo's either asleep or high these days.

"They don't know this but I was there with Davo when the doctors gave him his last prognosis." Eichs goes on. "I was also there when he said to the doctors that he was tired and wanted to quit and that he was glad he got to be there for everyone, especially us." A sigh. "I just wanna do more. Fuck fate. Fuck the afterlife. Fuck everything. We're owed at least this."

Sometimes Matts wants to ask why Eichs is still here. But he guesses they all know the answer. So in the end, Matts just tugs Eichs in closer. The movement makes Marns stir.

"Matts?" Marns chirps up groggily, turning his head to look at Matts and bringing a hand to cup Matts' face. Like, "Love you. Thanks for being here." And Matts, like, loves them, loves all these assholes who he met through unbelievably shitty circumstances and never wish for anything else.

"Just tell him he's the love of your fucking life already, you dumb fuck," Eichs supplies helpfully. Matts doesn't know why those words are so hard for him to say, which means Eichs is right and also a fucking hypocrite since Eichs still hasn't told Davo, either.

"I know," Matts settles on saying. Marns snorts out a really dorky, yet somehow cute laugh and Eichs smirks self-aggrandizingly before reaching a hand to push a strand of hair out of Davo's face in a manner that can be described as lovingly.

Nothing's actually fine, but at least they got each others.

Matts holds on.

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting in my WIP folder for so long and never have I ever thought I was gonna post it. But I've made peace with it the more I browsed through the Archive so here it is. Also, I have nothing against Canada and I only tagged endgame relationships because I didn't want to jam up things. Please let me know if this needs more tags. I also would like to hear your thoughts if you're so inclined.
> 
> This took a lot of elements from Polseres Vermelles (the OG Red Band Society). Like most of its kind, you can watch it legitimately for free on the internet. It's in Catalan but there are subtitles. As of the day of posting this there's no fic about this show on ao3, which still baffles me because the cast got so much chemistry and no sense of personal space whatsoever. The ghost was everywhere with the character that could see him, wearing (and not wearing) the same clothing as said character. Anyway, hugs are abundant and platonic(?) male-male cheek kissing and touching of foreheads are things that happened, I kid you not. However, nothing on-screen can be compared with the behind-the-scenes photos which truly comprise a treasure trove. (And I would provide pictures, but the fact remains that I don't know how.) The show can get really soapy at times, though, and they were kids with cancer or heart problems or eating disorder etc so it's not for everyone.


End file.
